Sunday, October 07, 2007

Morrissey at the Hollywood Palladium (10/05/07)

This was supposed to be night number four of Morrissey. Instead it is night number two and I am hoping the rest of the dates will be upheld. I forgot to ask some of the Hollywood Palladium staff where the pipe leak was.

I lost track of time shopping at Amoeba records to catch all of Kristeen Young. I still have five more shots to go.

At approximately 9:00, the screen dropped as Morrissey and the boys sauntered on stage. The band was dressed in their red "Morrissey Lads Club" shirts and Morrissey was outfitted in a blue dress shirt. The atmosphere in the Palladium seemed to be a little heavy from the two shows being canceled. The optimist would say that Morrissey got to rest his voice for 3 days and when he started to sing "Sister, I'm A Poet", the difference showed. Morrissey changed the lyrics a bit with "Brother, I'm A Poet". Morrissey welcomed the crowd to "Friday night and Outpatients". "The Loop" was next and it rocked. Solomon Walker (Bass) dragged his upright bass to the center and was plucking away. Mikey Farrell (Keyboards) was providing some backing acoustic guitars on "The Loop" to give the song a full sound. Morrissey then addressed the crowd by pointing to the bass drum and stated, " As the sign says some of us are turning nasty". "The National Front Disco" was a nice change up to the usual core set that Morrissey plays. The song was brought to a close with all the members walking to the front of the stage for an extended rock out ending. Boz Boorer (Guitars) had a shiny white Hagstrom guitar that resembled a Les Paul that he played for "The Last of The Famous International Playboys". The crowd chanted along to parts of the song and Morrissey changed the lyrics again stating "Fox News hands them stardom".

Morrissey went on to introduce the band as the five lap dancers behind him with Boz Boorer surviving 2 nuclear wars. Morrissey introduced himself as Alejandro Sanz. "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself?" was stunning. During this night, I started to pay attention to all the small nuances that Morrissey adds to songs. If you listen carefully, you can detect the variations in emphasis and pitch when Morrissey sings. It is almost like he never sings his songs the same way twice. After playing a solid version of "That's How People Grow Up", Morrissey commented on how playing ten nights at the Palladium was exhausting to which he quickly followed up with a "Just Kidding". "Ganglord" was the highlight for me. The chord progression and dynamics of the song are superb. Morrissey then mentioned that he had to leave to get back to the ghetto.

"Human Being" was another variation to the usual set with Boz shining on the Saxophone to which Morrissey quipped at the end of the song "Is that to rhythm and bluesy for you?". "I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris" is one of Morrissey's new songs that I enjoy the most and sounds like it came from the "Southpaw Grammar" era. Morrissey mentioned how he was going to the "Cat & Fiddle" after the show to have some Grey Goose Vodka. I didn't know Morrissey drank. The trumpet solo from "One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell" sounds similar to Muse's "Knights of Cydonia". "Please,Please,Please Let Me Get What I Want" had an excellent response from the crowd that garnered a "Ah Shucks" response from Morrissey. "How Soon Is Now?" signaled the ending of the set but was notable to see the sound engineer stage right grooving along to the music. Overall a good show, but not as much interaction with the crowd as compared to Monday night.

Morrissey Setlist at the Hollywood Palladium (10/05/07)"Sister, I'm A Poet" "The Loop""The National Front Disco" "Last Of The Famous International Playboys""The Boy With The Thorn In His Side""Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself?" "That's How People Grow Up""Ganglord""Human Being""Stretch Out And Wait""I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris""Everyday Is Like Sunday""Shoplifters Of The World Unite""Tomorrow""One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell""I Just Want To See The Boy Happy""Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want""Dear God, Please Help Me""How Soon Is Now?""Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before"